C.J. Spiller: "We can make a run at the playoffs"

C.J. Spiller meets the media after the official opening of the Bills 2013 training camp.

Q: Not many people are picking the Bills to be contenders. How do you deal with that perception?A: First of all, I don’t even buy national magazines or pay attention. You hear the stories but you can’t let that affect you. You have to believe in the guys you have in the locker room. And that’s the only thing that matters. All that outside stuff, the things people write about us and say about us, that we’re the same old Bills or whatever, that’s their opinion. We can only go out there and try to win games and position ourselves to make a run at the playoffs. And I think that every guy in that locker room right now believes in their heart that we can make a run at the playoffs and have a chance to win it all. But we know that before you get there, there’s a lot of work that has to be put in. That’s our main focus.

Q: Do you feel after the year and a half you’ve had productively, do you feel this is your team and your time to shine?A: I can’t really say it’s my team because we’ve got a lot of leaders on this team and hopefully I’m trying to step into that leadership role. I’m not a very rah-rah type of guy. I try to do it through my actions, the way I prepare and how I’m getting myself ready to face the opponent. We’ve got guys like Fred (Jackson). He’s the more vocal guy on the offensive side of the ball. And his play speaks for it as well. But at the same time I do consider myself a leader and I can’t get caught up with what has happened in the past.

Q: Do you feel you are the number one guy on the depth chart? Do you feel like the offense will run through you?A: Who knows? We’ll have to wait and see. The good thing about it is that we got a lot of great guys who are capable of making plays when you put the ball in their hands. You got Stevie (Johnson), T.J. Graham, Fred. If teams just focus in on me, then it’s going to open up everything else and that’s fine with me as long as we’re coming away with the wins and doing the things we need to do.

Q: Do you have a number in mind for the amount of rushing yards you want to finish the year with?A: I do have a number. I’ll share it after the season, after hopefully the confetti is falling down on our head. But I do have a number in my head. I always make one. I think you should write down your goals in order to be great. In order to achieve things, I think you have to write them down and challenge yourself. I think it’s a challenge for me to see where I’m at. I’ve got different categories I want to achieve and I’ll keep it at that. But that ultimate goal is to hold up the Vince Lombardi trophy.